Stowe Youth Hockey: Two out of three ain’t bad for Stowe girls hockey

In the first period, Stowe’s Stormy Challenger took a nice feed from Addison Kneale and deposited a beautiful backhand into the back of the net. About four minutes later, the roles were reversed, this time with Challenger assisting on the Kneale goal. Bridgette St. Pierre was an absolute menace at the blue line for the Stowe defense, and got great help from fellow linesman Madison Widen, Natalie Kubalova, Claire McLaughlin and Mia Hunkins.

St. Albans would keep the pressure on to start the second, but was met with ferocious forechecking by Hannah Lamb, Emma Nigro, Catherine McLaughlin and Molly Schultze. While no goals were scored in the second, Hughes made an excellent save at the buzzer to preserve the clean sheet.

In the third, Sophia Flint fed a beautiful pass to Reese Henderson who buried the insurance goal.

Burlington 8, Stowe 3

In the first semi-final game, the Burlington Bobcats used a super-strong start to the third to take down the Raiders and advance to the finals. Stowe struck first, with a Henderson goal assisted by St. Pierre and Widen, but that lead would not last for too long as the Bobcats’ Timmerman knotted the score with her first of three goals in the game. Widen and St. Pierre held down the defense for Stowe, keeping the potent Bobcat offense mainly at bay. In the second, Burlington scored two goals, with Thibault netting her first of four goals. Henderson scored her second of the game with just under two minutes to go, keeping Stowe within reach, down 2-3.

Stowe wished for a do-over in the first three minutes of the third, as the Burlington team caught fire and netted four quick and unanswered goals to put the game out of reach. There was no quit in these Stowe ladies, though, as they fought hard until the end, exemplified by a beautiful coast-to-coast goal by Widen. Stowe dropped to the elimination round while Burlington skated on to the finals.

Stowe 3, Essex 1

Facing elimination, the Stowe ladies skated with heart and soul, powering past a well-rounded and tenacious Essex group that kept it close until the very end. With one minute to go in the first, Stowe capitalized on a power play, with Challenger burying a pass from Kneale to put Stowe up 1-0. Essex’s Ryan Wolf-Leventry tied it up 1-1 midway through the second with a nice shot past Stowe’s Hughes in net. Widen and St. Pierre held down the defensive lines with poise and professionalism while Kneale, Henderson and Challenger all chipped in valuable minutes on the forecheck and the penalty kill lines.

To start the third, Essex went on the power play, but Stowe took that as an opportunity for more open ice, with Challenger scoring on a shorthand backhand, putting Stowe up 2-1 and setting up for an exciting final 10 minutes. With great team defense and timely clearances by all players, the Stowe ladies held the lead until Essex went on another power play with one minute left. To add to the intensity, Essex pulls their goalie for the two-skater advantage. Despite the 6-4 skater advantage for Essex, Stowe’s Henderson picked up a loose puck mid-ice and scored an empty-net goal to ensure the 3-1 victory. Hughes kept it tight in the net for Stowe, earning the player of the game award. The Stowe ladies advance with the win and will now play for the U10 Girls State Championship in two weeks at Stowe Arena versus Burlington on March 4.

— Bob St. Pierre